Hybrid work has become increasingly prevalent in the last few years, but questions remain about how to make it work well for everyone. For instance, in such environments, individuals can encounter issues such as uncertainties, work-life balance issues, and varying stress levels. This is where compassionate leadership comes in – a leadership style characterised by empathy, care, and concern for employees’ well-being.

In a recent study, researchers looked into factors such as how compassionate leadership shapes employee support, job satisfaction, and work-life balance in hybrid settings, and how these differ by gender. The study, titled Beyond Laptops and Tables: Unveiling Singapore’s Success in Hybrid Work Through a Two-Wave Gender Multigroup Analysis of Compassionate Leadership, examined the hybrid work experiences of 310 white-collar professionals in Singapore.

“We set out to understand a few important questions,” says lead researcher Dr Kim-Lim Tan, Senior Lecturer in Business at James Cook University in Singapore. “What truly defines a positive hybrid work experience? Is it more than just achieving work-life balance? Beyond having a table and a laptop, what are the key ingredients that make hybrid work genuinely successful and fulfilling?”

“Our team found evidence that while leadership is important, compassion is what matters. Leaders who display compassionate behaviours influence the perceived level of support at both organisation and the social level,” he continues.

These forms of support are especially important in hybrid work environments, where balancing professional and personal responsibilities can be more complex.

The study’s findings also reveal that men and women perceive differences in the effectiveness of support mechanisms on various aspects of the hybrid work experience. They found that hybrid work has brought gender disparities into sharper focus – for example, while the arrangement’s flexibility can benefit both men and women, it may disproportionately test women’s ability to juggle work and family responsibilities as women may still be seen as primary caregivers.

The researchers offer several recommendations to foster a culture of compassionate leadership, such as training leaders in empathy and emotional awareness, setting up peer networks, implementing regular feedback mechanisms, introducing mental health initiatives such as mental health champions and “mental health days”, and tailoring support with gender in mind.

“Leaders who demonstrate compassion are better equipped to offer emotional support and flexibility in work arrangements and cultivate a culture of trust and psychological safety.Andwhen employees feel supported and valued by their organisation, they tend to experience lower stress levels, greater job satisfaction, and improved overall well-being,” says Dr Tan.

“Compassionate leadership contributes directly to building healthier, more resilient workplaces – especially in hybrid settings where challenges can be less visible but deeply felt,” he adds.

PAPER

Tan, K.L., Sim, A.K.S., Lew, T.Y., & Cham, T.-H. (2024). Beyond laptops and tables: Unveiling Singapore’s success in hybrid work through a two-wave gender multigroup analysis of compassionate leadership. Employee Relations, 47(1), 148–172. https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-02-2024-0108

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Contacts

Dr Kim-Lim Tan: kimlim.tan@jcu.edu.au

Media: Ms Pinky Sibal pinky.sibal@jcu.edu.au / Ms Hoe Shu Rin shurin.hoe@jcu.edu.au